Sexy

The kitchen seamlessly connects the dining area to the living room.

A series of “stacked boxes” laid the foundation for this Sea Ranch–inspired home on a narrow site set on two flood zones and filled with protected redwoods.

"The effect of the plantings on the terrace is enormous,” reflects the couple. “Not only do the branches and formations give a sense of the four seasons, but the way it looks from the living room contributes to a sense of calmness. It gives the illusion that we are viewing art."

In the shared bath, nothing was changed except for the wall color.

In their child’s room, a dark green wall paint draws the eye to the view out the windows.

The ceiling drops down significantly over the built-in bench in the living area to create a cozy nook. “Like the kitchen, it’s a space within a space,” Thomas says. The wooden boards are flush with the window frame, allowing the sun to wash down the wall.

A local welder crafted the house number which is mounted off the wall to cast a shadow. “It also looks like ‘god’ which means ‘good’ in Danish, so it’s also ‘the good house,’” Thomas says.

Cobblestones reference the surroundings. “In winter, the frozen ground pushes out rocks that farmers collect in the spring to build walls,” Thomas says. “This is how they used the rocks on the farms back in the day.”

Bedroom furnishings are also from Rove Concepts.

When OSSO Architecture first began renovating this loft in a Brooklyn paper factory, it hadn’t been touched since the 1980s. Owner Malik Ashiru says the project achieved his goal of “a big, open space where people could come in and not feel cramped.” The formerly constrained spaces in the 1,400-square-foot, two-story apartment have been reconfigured into an open-plan living space with an office on the first floor and a loft guest bedroom above. On the second floor, the primary bedroom and bath open up to a rooftop terrace. Level changes delineate different spaces in the open-plan first floor, which is stylishly furnished with Ashiru’s midcentury furniture and artwork collected from his travels around the world.

A honed basalt walkway leads to the re-imagined front door.

A look at the elevated west wall and entry. Here, insulated black panels spaced in glass cladding guard the home against harmful weather while reflecting beautiful silhouettes of the garden.

Living room

The renovation added just 500 square feet, but the family went from two bedrooms and three bathrooms to five bedrooms and three and a half baths.

“We removed all the walls and defined the kitchen in the open space with black finishes,” says designer Anthony W Designs. Details's all-black kitchen features a 16-foot-long marble counter and cabinetry by Lignum Cabinets.